Great Union

In Great Union (Marea Unire) politics, patriotism, nationalism, friendship, hatred, grief, rage and fighting. They are all united by one thing: alcohol. When people drink, they show you who they really are, without barriers. When someone who thinks differently than you drinks and tries to convince you of something, you either ignore him, or counter him with everything you know. That’s how drinking brings us together.

When a group of five friends assemble for a long drinking session, tension rises when one of them tries to convince everyone to join him for the Romanian National Day Parade the next morning. Writer/director Theodor Graur presents different political views in a friendly environment, showing how such close friends can be separated by something that’s not controlled by them.

In the beginning, we see how every one of them is so happy to have the chance to hang out together, like in the old days, they say. After one of these guys, Dacian (Robert Trifan), starts talking about politics and the parade, which takes place the next day, things start going down. As a nationalist and a supporter of the right-wing populist AUR party, he is doing everything he can to gather everyone for the parade, but, at the same time, convincing them that a radical and extremist party with a married leader will assure a bright future to his country.

The parallel line between the political views of each man is crossed when we think about modern society and the social context of Romania. In recent years, the population has started to become divided by the rise of right-wing parties and their leaders, who promise a way better life and a change in the economy. The way the relations are represented throughout the screen-time reflects how the actual political situation creates tension in families, friendship groups, workplaces and, basically, any social gathering. Even the name Dacian, which comes from Dacia, the country before Romania, which many believe was a period when people lived their best and free lives until the Romans came and took everything. Great success.

At the end of the night, all the rage becomes lost in the beer and the comradery they share. Graur shoots everything from one angle, the environment remaining the same through the entire night. Ths sets us in a single perspective, being on the other side of the couch. From there, you can observe mostly the things that happen in the perimeter of the couch, and a bit of background. The message of democracy and different political beliefs is subliminal and given the context of a gathering, it appears natural. The characters resemble a classic family meeting where everything boils down to the pressure of political discussions.

Great Union, which has played at Transilvanya International Film Festival and Cinema Paradiso International Shorts Festival, is an allegory of how politics can divide very close friends and why being critical about everything is the best way to look at that. Grau's film works as an gripping conflict which takes the audience through the whole night, wondering if in the morning, these guys will still be friends. To get the most out of Great Union it will help for a viewer to be at least familiar with the socio-political situation of Romania but at a basic level, you can pretty much understand why these guys are fighting each other in any social context.

Reviewed on: 27 Oct 2025